Zack Hample has snagged 7,806 baseballs at 51 different major league stadiums since 1990. Find out how and see what else he's been up to.

6/19/06 at Shea Stadium

“Zack Hample?” asked a voice outside Gate C. I looked up at a tall kid with a Mets cap and a glove. “The Baseball Collector?” he continued.

“That’s me. Are you Chuckster?”

Just before I left for this game, ‘chuckster’ (pictured here) left a comment on my previous entry to say that he was going. It was nice to finally meet him–and to have someone to talk to while waiting 40 minutes for the stadium to open.

He told me he started going for balls after he read my book, and now has 82 in his collection. “If my parents met you,” he said, “they’d say you owe them a lot of time.”

“Nice blog,” said another guy who told me he stumbled upon it recently and has been reading it regularly ever since.

A father and his young son recognized me from TV. They said they’d never gotten a ball and asked where they should go. I told them to head down the foul lines and mentioned that right field, while more crowded, would be better because that’s where most of the Mets would be hanging out. I told the kid to ask the players for balls–by their first names–and to say “please.”

There was a huge line by the time the gate opened at 4:40pm, so I bolted inside and raced up to my corner spot in the right field Loge. I figured I wouldn’t catch the most exciting balls there, but it was a safe place to go to make sure I’d get a few…and I did.

Billy Wagner tossed the first one from the grass just in front of the warning track. It fell short, smacked a railing, and bounced back down onto the field. Wagner got another ball and fired it 10 feet over my head. Luckily, I was still the only one there, so I had no problem chasing it down.

Several minutes later, Alay Soler tossed me a ball from the bullpen after his session with pitching coach Rick Peterson, and soon after that, Ramon Castro strolled into the ‘pen and tossed me another. That one had a nice big smudge on it.

The father and son had made their way out to the first row in foul territory in the right field corner. They looked up at me and waved.

“You’re in a great spot!” I shouted. The father looked relieved and gave me a thumbs up, and moments later, someone threw them a ball. I think it might’ve been Wagner, but that didn’t matter. They were thrilled. I saw ‘chuckster’ get one, too.

I managed to get one more ball in the Loge. It was thrown (of course) by Mets catching instructor Tom Nieto. How bad is Shea? For the first 50 minutes, there was exactly ONE ball that was hit into seats on the entire right side of the stadium–and THAT is why I focus on getting balls tossed to me.

The stadium was filling up. Along both foul lines, the first row was packed. It wasn’t even worth trying to get down to the Mets dugout. I felt lucky to have the corner spot, and I would’ve stayed there if not for one thing: Bucky Dent.

In the early 90s, I attended Bucky’s baseball school in Delray Beach, Florida. He had been a shortstop. I was a shortstop. We worked together on infield drills, and for a while, when he came to Shea as the third base coach of the Cardinals, he recognized me…but I never got a ball from him. Then he became an infield coach with the Rangers…but I hardly got to see him because I didn’t attend as many American League games. Then he started managing in Triple-A, and it was hopeless. I lost track of him for years. But NOW, he was back in The Show and briefly in my home town, serving as the Reds’ bench coach. The Reds were about to take the field for BP. I had to move closer to the action. I was wearing an old “Bucky Dent’s Baseball School” T-shirt for the occasion.

I headed downstairs, and only then did I realize that Bucky (real name: Russell Earl O’Dey) was pitching BP. That was bad. It meant I needed to run out onto the field to talk to him…but instead I waited like a fool. When he finished pitching and started hitting fungos, I headed back to the outfield to try to get some more balls. Total waste of time. Then Bucky abruptly finished hitting and disappeared into the dugout. I was pretty bummed, unsure if I’d get another chance to see him.

BP was almost done, and I was still stuck on four balls. I desperately wanted to get down to the first row behind the Reds’ dugout, but it was impossible. The crowd was three rows deep, and when BP ended, I saw Bucky walk out onto the field and pick up a few balls. Since I couldn’t get in front of the crowd, I had to elevate above it. I stepped on an orange seat, then got an extra foot higher by climbing onto the rusted arm rests.

I was really sticking out.
“Hey! It’s the foul ball guy!” someone shouted.
I was praying that security wouldn’t come over and make me get down.

As Bucky made his way in, I screamed my head off and got his attention and pointed to my shirt. He waved. I held up my glove and flapped it open and closed. He pulled a ball out of his back pocket and underhanded it to me over everyone’s head…but it was falling short. I was stuck on the arm rests and couldn’t move. I reached forward as far as I could, nearly losing my balance, and was about to catch it in the tip of my glove when someone reached up and swatted the ball away. I didn’t have time to cry. Bucky saw what happened and tossed me his other ball, putting a little more muscle into it. It was heading a bit to my left, but it had the distance, and I reached out and made the catch. I pumped my fist at him and yelled “Thanks!” He waved again and disappeared into the dugout for good.

I caught up with ‘chuckster’ who managed to get a second ball. We both got Brandon Phillips autographs before the game. He got him on a card. I got him on my ticket stub.

The game started, and I decided to head back up to the right field Loge, just in case Ken Griffey Jr. happened to jerk one down the line. His next homer–No. 548–was going to tie him with Mike Schmidt for 11th place on the all-time list.

I entered the Loge and walked through the runway toward a small patch of empty seats near the foul pole. A security guard asked me where I was going. I told him that I actually had a Field Level ticket, and I asked politely if I might be able to sit in this section instead.

“I don’t want you around here,” he said.

“Me personally?”

“Yes.”

“Why is that?”

“I have my reasons.”

Small twinkie, perhaps?

Six innings later, Griffey hit a long home run to straight-away right field, which is exactly where I would’ve been sitting IF THERE WERE SEATS OUT THERE. But in the monstrosity that some people like to call Shea Stadium, there’s nothing but tar and weeds in front of that gigantic, ugly scoreboard.

Small patch of empty seats aside, the stadium was ridiculously crowded. I think it was the largest crowd I’ve ever seen there on a weeknight. Yay! The Mets are in first place! Lucky me.

It was SO crowded that I actually went to my own seat. Someone was sitting in it. It wasn’t even worth asking her to move.

I roamed. Bronson Arroyo was pitching a gem. It drizzled for five minutes around the seventh inning, sending thousands of “fans” scurrying for the exits. That was nice. The Reds won, 4-2, and I got a ball at their dugout after the game from first base coach Billy Hatcher. The end.

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203 Comments

Ball Guy –

I LOVE the phrase & figure “8.363636363636 balls per game.” It’s sorta as if the throws you caught are pi in the sky. Too bad you didn’t get to speak with Bucky. But there’s got to be a way – and I bet your singular brain will figure it out – like said brain inventively conceived the glove trick. Go for it, dude, and please report back to us the way it happens!

I am looking for a scouting report on Kaufmann Stadium, home of the Royals. We will stop there on July 3 on our way back from my homeland, Minnesota. I assume you’ve been there. They have a goofy layout in the outfield, so I’m just curious as to what you think.

Hey Zack great entry, but in the future I might not want to see you too often. No offense. At least I didn’t get shut out, and I’m perfectly satisfied with 2 balls and 5 autographs (2 of Phillips, Felipe Lopez, Todd Coffey, Elizardo Ramirez, all on baseball cards).

BOODLEHEIMER-
Thanks for the kind words. I’d really like to avoid Shea for a while, but I might have to go back tomorrow because of Bucky.

DAN-

I’ve been everywhere, pal! (Almost.) Kauffman’s layout is more simple than goofy. Like Shea, there’s not much seating in fair territory, so you’re gonna have to rely on other strategies, like begging and the glove trick. The best thing about Kauffman is that the crowds are small and security is actually friendly. It’s a great place to get a foul ball during the game. Play righties and lefties differently by running back and forth to opposite sides of home plate. When I did that there back in 2001, a few guards asked me what I was up to. They’d never heard of a fan doing that, so when I told them, they laughed and wished me luck.

CHUCKSTER-

No offense taken. Sorry I couldn’t decide between left and right field. I know I was considering going to left, but when the gates opened, I just had to run to my regular spot. Glad you made out okay despite my presence. Five autographs! Wow. I didn’t realize that. Congrats. I realize that I forgot to ask you your real name. Is it Charles? Or do you go by Chuck?

CHAD-

Thanks. Last night, of course, wasn’t a weekend, but it sure felt like one…if that’s what you’re getting at.

THOMAS-

Almost every usher and security guard recognizes me. It’s awful. Dozens of them give me a hard time. Some leave me alone, and a few are actually nice. I’m always on the lookout at Shea, and it stresses me out like you wouldn’t believe. Thanks for reading.

MARK-

Great idea. I suppose I’ll wait until I pass him…unless you think I should give him a heads up now.

My real name is Charlie/Chuck. People call me both. I think I would’ve gotten a ball or two more if I was in the RF Loge, but I didn’t want to compete for balls with you. In my opinion, the left field mezzanine is the best place to get balls, and you should spend all of BP there.

DAVE-
Wish I could check it out, but I’m at work. Hopefully, some other folks will be able to follow it.

CHUCKSTER-

I’ve known a few Charlies who HATED being called Chuck…but based on your email address, I figured you were cool with it. Sorry again about the RF Loge issue. I don’t know if you backed off as a strategy or simply to be nice…but I appreciate it. It’s just one more example of why Shea is so tough. In a good stadium like Camden, for example, there are MANY good spots. You don’t need to be THE first fan to enter the ballpark. But at Shea, too much success depends on whether or not you can get to a specific seat. I hate it. Interesting suggestion about the LF Mezzanine. Can’t wait to get back to Shea and try it out.

zack is there anyway to get a picture on a comment because i just took a pic of all my auto.d balls and my balls from games? also..have you ever considered getting one of you cleaner oml balls signed? also if barry bonds was signing autographs and you just caught a ball that was clean and you didnt label it yet..would you have him sign it on the sweet spot to sell or keep?

My opinion is dat its gonna be a close game, but I don’t think I can guarantee a win tonight because we have to go without the DH rule and the Jays are real horrible against NL teams in NL parks. The true test will be the next series vs the Red Sox, then we will let the smack talking begin!

BERGIN-
I don’t think you can put a picture into a comment, but if the photos are on a site somewhere, you could simply share the link. Would that work?

I’ve never considered getting my baseballs signed, except my 1,000th and 2,000th balls by the players (Pedro Borbon, Jr. and Joe Roa) who threw them to me.

Interesting question about Bonds. The answer: I would not get the ball signed. I’d get a ticket stub signed because that’s what I collect. One time at Yankee Stadium, Dave Winfield was signing, and I didn’t have any stubs. I did have a few balls in my bag, but I wanted to leave them pure, so as he moved down the line and got to me, I simply shook his hand and watched him move on. Even though he ended up in the Hall of Fame, I don’t regret my decision. Balls are balls. Autographs are autographs. With milestone balls as exceptions, I prefer to keep my two collections separate.

JIMMY-
I didn’t realize the Jays were playing that well against the Sox. Very impressive (unless they did most of the damage against Clement).

CABBIE-

I’ve never gotten a ball in the mail, except for a 1993 World Series ball that a friend sent as a gift…but that didn’t count in my collection. The only way a ball from Brooks would count would be if he were to give it to me AT A GAME. Interesting thought, though. Brian Doyle…nice.

EVERYONE-

Check out Cabbie’s blog. He’s got a GREAT entry with a gigantic list of all the sons of former Major Leaguers who are currently in the Minors.

No I’m just saying when the next Jays-Sox series starts we’ll be smack talking a lot… I know I will. Anyway the Jays have only faced Clement like twice. However I’m really looking forward to this weekend the Jays vs Mets. Going to the games on Friday (Halladay vs Glavine) and Sunday. I really can’t wait for that matchup and on Sunday my friend has to do a humiliation because he lost a prank war with my other firend. SO far we’re thinking he paints his ******* blue and writes a sign on his body and wears tear-aways so he rip off his clothes every half inning and dance.

OOO now we just need a Yankee fan and we can start a three way triangle of smack talking. I hate the Yankees so much, and I especially hate it when all the Boston and Yankee fans come up north, with their dumb new yorker accents, just makes me mad and their so pushy dam new yorkers. No offense to the Mets fans or anything, I love the Mets but not when they come up north later this week.

Wow I never thought I’d spend so much time on blogs, but here I am posting comments… Anyway I hope to keep the ball snagging up cause I’ve never tried to get balls before I saw this blog I used to always want a ball to just plop in my hands… but after this blog I went to a game (without BP) and got 2 balls! wooo anyway ummm yea I hope I get one of those special balls from the Mets later this week going twice so if I don’t get one I’ll be mad.

Zack- my question was are you allowed to go down to the dugout (not on the field, i mean by the dugout in the stands) during BP and what are good places to get balls there during BP and Yankee autographs!!!??? THANK YOU!

NICK-
No, I never thought I’d get more comments than balls. This is crazy. Nice spheroid, by the way.

YANKS FAN-

You can get down to the dugouts at all times at Citizens Bank Park. That’s one of the many nice things about it. During the game, some ushers might check your ticket at the top of the stairs…but you can always try the next staircase. Usually, there’s a way down. They’re not THAT strict, although this IS the Yankees we’re talking about. At the very least, you’ll be able to go wherever you want before the game. There are LOTS of good places for balls. If you have a glove trick-type device, right field is better. But left field is the place to be if you want to catch a home run. Just make sure you stay at least 8 or 10 rows back. When the whole stadium opens at 5:35pm, go straight to the Phillies’ dugout, and you should be able to get a ball or two as they come off the field after BP. Yankees autographs? That might be tough. I’d expect a mob scene. Get a spot in the first row where the wall is low in shallow LF, along the foul line. After BP, that’ll probably be the best spot. During BP, if you’re willing to sacrifice ball-snagging opportunities, you could go the Yanks’ dugout (on the 3rd base side) and try to get autographs there. The whole stadium is good. No matter where you go, there are opportunities if you’re paying attention. Finally…GOOD LUCK!

SMACK-TALKERS-

That was fun (I suppose) for a day, but it also got a bit out of hand. I don’t want to shoot down all team-related commentary, but let’s try to keep things a little more focused on snagging baseballs…and let’s also try to be NICER to each other. Okay?

CHUCKSTER-
Come on. You’re telling me that *I* single-handedly ruin all of Shea Stadium? I doubt that. But I’m flattered. Anyway, I’m not going to Thursday’s game…but I will be there tonight. As Nick says, the security in Baltimore is pretty lax, though during the game, some ushers are protective of the sections near the dugouts and home plate. Same thing with Philly. You won’t get hassled at all, but the area directly behind the plate is strictly off limits and even has its own entrance. That’s annoying. Not sure about Pittsburgh. I’ve only been to one game there, and that was five years ago. As I recall, it wasn’t too bad, but I can’t give you specifics.

Zack- Any last tips or advice for me, going to the mets- jays game friday and sunday. Like when should I head to the dugout for balls like how many minutes before bp ends and does Manny Acta usually hang out near 3rd base?

Tru, I can’t study I swear I had ADD I can never pay much attention to things and besides its drama, gonna be real easy, just gotta watch out for math which is my last exam on friday, then let the summer begin.

I see..Jimmy- so are you talking jays tonight or studying?????I can never pay attention either I studied for my physical education final I have tommorrow for 5 minutes-probably will be easy so I am done now
-kaylee

kaylee- I’ll probably be on and off cause I heard theres some Greek Mythology questions on the exam and I don’t know anything about it, but I will be talking Jays on and off and I cant wait for this weekend to come, gonna be all Jays.

On my Phsy Ed exam it was mainly like the rules of games and labeling basketball courts etc. And some things about drugs and human bodies… basic stuff, but drama dats different gotta know the Greek Theatre and like Greek history and stuff, pretty garbage, but only 2 more days till summer and I can focus on baseball!

The best time to get autographs is before the gates open. If you arrive super early, you can get the players as they enter the stadium. If you’re just going for baseballs, then yes, just show up when the gates open…or even a little before the gates open to make sure you’re first in line.

JIMMY-

Manny Acta is usually busy during BP. He pitches, hits fungos, etc. I’m not sure what time the Mets will finish BP…probably at around 6:15pm, so head to their dugout a little before that and try to get into the front row. Other than that, I have no additional tips for you. I think you should have all the info you need by now.

Zack-I hope you do not mind all of the Blue jays talk me and jimmy are using your blog to do…anyways we toned it down tonight…..No smack talking tonight we will try to keep it that way from now on.I heard from jimmy Jose reyes of the mets hit for the cycle tonight.
Anyways hope you did not mind the jays talking between me and jimmy tonight.

zack i would have had a streak of 2 consective games with you also being there(5/3 vs. pirates,stood in an upper box for almost the whole thing), but you just had to go the day before and the day after. I went to shea tuesday and made it for bp, i got nothing (i got pics, ehh)knowing spanish didn’t even help with castro, sanchez, soler, the pedros and maybe el duque being close by and throwing balls into the crowd, being in crowd of kids didn’t help(blanking out on faces and names doesn’t either). i guess for next time i’ll have to read your book and buy a glove(like this kid that nearby “i’m too much of a man to need a glove”)i’ll try to not be lazy and post the pics so by tonight or tommorrow they should be up http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v618/flarakoo/

also have you ever been thrown a (weighted baseball?) when i got there for bp soler had thrown a guy a ball but then asked for it back, i think the guy said it had extra weight to it, and sliver sticthes from the glimps i got of it.

Now THERE’S a different kind of streak. Sorry to hear that nothing was going your way during batting practice. These crowded games are tough. You just gotta keep going and keep trying and keep refining your strategies as you figure out what does and doesn’t work. Looking forward to checking out those pics. As for the weighted ball…no, I’ve never gotten one, but I know the fan you’re talking about. His name is Evan. Supernice guy. We were talking about that ball yesterday outside Gate C. It was just an exercise ball that Alay tossed him to prove that he didn’t have a regular ball to give away. Evan then returned it. Still cool though.

Hi Zack. You have a great blog and I love reading your entries. I recently got a copy of your book from a friend and now I have already gotten 13 balls in just 3 games. I just wanted to thank you for giving me and I’m sure many others a new and fun hobby. I don’t get to Shea as much as I’d like to, but I hope to bump into you the next time I go.

Too bad you didn’t have a chance for Griffey’s 549th last night. Hopefully, the ushers were nicer to you than last time. Great game, crappy ending…Btw, I got so much (insert expletive here) after the game for wearing my Wagner jersey…

Zack-I am going too the angels
diamondbacks game tomorrow night…I am sitting in right field two rows from the field thanks to my friend..I dont know how much closer i could get…I will let you know how it goes.

JEFF-
Thanks so much. Nice to finally hear from you after all this time. I’m glad that my book has given you a new hobby and immediate results. VERY glad. That’s awesome.

EVAN!

Is it you? THE Evan from 4pm at Gate C? It has to be. How many other Evans are there with Billy Wagner jerseys? That really was a shame the way the game ended. When Billy gave up that single to Phillips, I let out a booming, “NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” One usher in particular was awful. He should be fired and arrested. But I had a great time overall, and I’ll have the entry up in a few hours. It’s LONG. Beware.

CHUCKSTER-

55,000 seats. Only one Zack.

KAYLEE-

Nice seats! That should be a good time. Definitely let me know how it goes.

JIMMY & KAYLEE-

The book is out of print, so your best bet is to look for it online at abe.com or amazon.com. There should be a few REALLY cheap copies floating around.

JIMMY-

No game for me today. I went to Shea last night, and I’m in the process of writing it up.

Ok zack I will definitly let you know how it goes….I am going to try for Jose Valverde’s autograph even though He acts like he cannot hear you…It is worth a try though……I really want Luis Vizcaino’s is he nice??
P.s.I will try those sites for the book

Ohh, don’t worry, I’ll post a superlong entry before you know it. Not this time, though. I wrote the first draft REALLY fast last night until 6:15am, and when I started combing through it this afternoon, I realized that some parts simply had to go. Trust me, it’ll be a much better read this way…but thanks. It’s nice to know that you’re interested in checking out what I have to say.

I know nothing of soccer. If there were soccer balls to be snagged, I’m sure that would change.

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